


do we all become our fathers in the end?

by siriuspiggyback



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Denial, Fix It, Fix-It, Gen, Pre Season 2, Season 2 spoilers, Unreliable Narrator, klaus and ben realising they started a cult and realising that maybe this is not a good thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25697008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuspiggyback/pseuds/siriuspiggyback
Summary: It's not a cult. Even Ben agrees with him! Ben should know, he’s been his moral compass for years now, and he’s all for it. Ben wouldn’t let him hurt anyone, except maybe for himself.So he knows that it’s okay, what he’s doing, harmless, benign. Sometimes he feels… worried, maybe, but then he sees his followers light up when they see him - no one’s ever lit up like that for him, except for Dave, Dave, Dave - and he thinks he’s being paranoid. If he is the bad guy, they wouldn’t be so excited to hear him speak, would they?
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 58
Kudos: 319





	do we all become our fathers in the end?

**Author's Note:**

> hi, i just finished season 2, so i naturally have begun writing several new fix its. here's the first one.

It’s not a cult.

Really, it isn’t. People always love throwing labels on things, especially if they don’t understand it, and people never understand Klaus. Of course people are calling him a cult leader. It’s not even one of the worst things he’s been called (junkie, whore, pervert-), so it doesn’t bother him too much. He’s not hurting anyone. Hell, he’s helping them! Helping them to let go of their mediocre lives and find true happiness. That’s what this whole thing is about, if you ask Klaus: happiness. Finally, finally, he’s going to do it right. He’s sober, and he’s not even breaking any laws, really. Mostly.

It’s not his fault that people follow him. So what, he has a charming personality, who cares? And sure, maybe he’s played up the prophet angle, but he’s right, isn’t he? He _does_ know the future. He’s being more honest than he was on the streets, if you ignore the plagiarism of post 60’s music icons. 

Cults are things that control people, and Klaus isn’t controlling anyone! Everyone is allowed to leave whenever they want to (assuming they still have somewhere to go). Klaus might have asked for _financial contributions,_ sure, but they gave them willingly! Most of the assholes were rich anyway, so if anything, he’s just redistributing the wealth, a modern day Robin Hood. He takes care of his followers, helps them leave behind the materialistic capitalist hell and become part of something bigger. And yes, maybe he uses their funds for some more frivolous purchases, but he lets them live in the mansion, so really, he’s not being selfish. 

Even Ben agrees with him! Ben should know, he’s been his moral compass for years now, and he’s all for it. Ben wouldn’t let him hurt anyone, except maybe for himself. 

So he knows that it’s okay, what he’s doing, harmless, benign. Sometimes he feels… worried, maybe, but then he sees his followers light up when they see him - no one’s ever lit up like that for him, except for Dave, Dave, Dave - and he thinks he’s being paranoid. If he is the bad guy, they wouldn’t be so excited to hear him speak, would they? 

It’s only been a couple of months since they settled down at the mansion. Before, it had always been a transient thing, on the road, picking people up and dropping them off, living fast and loose. Now, though, things have gotten more… organised. It’s natural, he supposes, but it does feel a bit… whatever. It’s fine. Maybe it’s a bit more pressure, when he’s expected to speak, expected to welcome new recruits and enlighten them, and people have started to come to him to warn him when certain followers _‘don’t seem like a true believer in your gospel, so I thought you should know, maybe talk to them, make them see the light’-_

Okay, so, yes, he’s finding it a little stressful. But that doesn’t make it a _bad thing._ In fact, if anything, it’s a good sign. Klaus always gets antsy when he’s being sensible. So, the quiet, twisting apprehension in his gut is probably just telling him that he's doing good for once in his no good, rotten life.

Klaus shakes himself out, trying to get rid of all the excess tension. It's after dinner, now, which is when he expected to speak, so he needs to at least appear calm and controlled.

Plastering a smile on, Klaus says to Ben out of the corner of his mouth, "Showtime." Then he's stepping onto the little stage with a gracious smile. "Good afternoon, my children."

The room takes a breath. Then, on unison, they say, "Good afternoon, Prophet."

Klaus smiles. It feels brittle on his face. "What a divine night to be at one with all you beautiful people," he says airily. "Is there anyone here who would like to share?" (Yes, he may have stolen that line from the AA group leader, so sue him.)

One of his followers - Frank or Fred or something - stands with a nervous grin. "Hello," he says. "My name's Ed" - whoops - "and I'm one of destiny's children."

The rest of the group sing, "Hi, Ed."

Ed grins. "I, uh, I actually have a surprise for you, Prophet."

Klaus blinks. "For moi?"

Nodding eagerly, Ed says, "Yeah! A few of us thought- well, it would be easier to show you." He looks around, and a few of the more devout followers stand with him, and then, in the same motion that Klaus had made sacred, they put the backs of their palms to their foreheads.

His stomach drops.

Suddenly, all he can hear is his father’s voice:

_These tattoos are a symbol of unity. You all belong to something greater than yourselves, and this will mark you permanently as belonging to the academy. You will forever remember your solemn duty to the world, each time you look down at your wrists._

He remembers the stinging burn of the tattoo gun, the stinging burn of his humiliated tears as he was branded. He remembers standing there in their matching uniforms, their matching wrists smarting in unison, and wondering if every little piece of individuality will eventually be stamped out, until they can’t be differentiated from each other any more. Just the shape of a person, an impression, but if you cracked any of them open, they would all look the same, just broken glass and their father’s cold, cold words.

He looks at his followers, and their matching tattooed palms, and their blue linen uniforms, all watching his reaction, desperate for the slightest bit of affection, the confirmation that they were doing exactly as he wanted-

He runs.

Vomit is rising up in his throat, and he can hear the worried, wounded noises of all these people-

These people who were living out _his vision-_

Klaus locks himself into the nearest bathroom, and wretches into the toilet.

Some things never change.

“Bro,” says Ben, sounding stunned, “what the hell was that?”

Shuddering, Klaus drops back onto his ass, leaning against the cold tiles on the wall. “Oh, god,” he moans.

“Klaus, what’s going on? Did you take something? Are you ill?”

“I’m pregnant,” Klaus deadpans. (He’s not offended. Even though he’s been sober for eight months now. He’s not.)

Even with his eyes closed, he knows the exact irritated look Ben is giving him. “Seriously.”

“No,” sighs Klaus. “I just had a horrible, traumatic realisation.”

“What did you realise, Klaus?” Ben says, and it’s clear from his voice that he’s humouring him.

Klaus pulls his knees up to his chest and hides his face in them, because he can’t quite keep a smile in place. His voice shakes with laughter - or something else, maybe - when he speaks. “I turned into Dad.”

Softly, Ben says, “What?”

Threading his fingers into the greasy locks of his hair, Klaus tugs slightly, trying to ground himself. “I really thought, out of all of us, it would be Luther. Right? Or, Five, maybe, he’s got the eccentric old guy act down. I never thought- _fuck.”_

“Klaus, calm down,” commands Ben, and then he squeezes his ankle. It’s been months, but Klaus still can’t quite believe that they can do this now: touch. 

He takes a breath, looking up at his brother, who is nodding encouragingly. “Ben, I think we created a cult,” he says.

Ben ducks back, as if Klaus had reached out and slapped him. “What? Klaus, don’t be- We aren’t hurting anyone, right? I mean, we’re helping people, we’re giving people a place to stay-”

“Do you think Dad thought he was helping us? Giving _us_ a place to stay?”

Crossing his arms over his stomach, Ben says, “That’s different.”

“Is it?” Klaus asks, voice pitching into hysterical. 

“Yes! This isn’t the academy, Klaus, this is just-”

“They wear a uniform,” Klaus says. “They all live according to some random guy's rules, trying to live up to his expectations, they’ve given up everything outside of this place! They don’t- Ben, they have _matching tattoos!”_ He’s breathing hard by the end, his lungs spasming in his chest.

“Oh, fuck,” says Ben faintly.

Klaus grins, and it’s all bared teeth and manic eyes. “I’m dad. I finally turned into my father.”

“No,” says Ben. Klaus goes to interrupt, but Ben forges on, “No, listen, you aren’t like dad, because you _care.”_

None of this is funny, but he laughs anyway, clambering up onto his feet to look in the mirror. He looks- well, he looks like a guy pretending to be a prophet. He laughs again, and then he digs around for a razor.

“You’re going to fix this, right?” Ben says.

“Probably not,” says Klaus, “but I’m going to try.”

Ben nods approvingly. “And that’s the difference between us and Dad. We’re going to try.”

They share a timid smile. Things have been difficult between them lately - for a long time, really - but they’re still family. And neither of them are going to turn into Reginald Hargreeves.

Looking at his reflection, Klaus decides, “I don’t know what the hell I’m going to say to fix this, but first things first: I’m gonna get rid of this _fucking beard.”_


End file.
